An additional investment of €10 million to support the development and implementation of core mental health services, was announced atthe Sharing the Vision – National Mental Health Conference.
The Conference provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss developments in national mental health policy and delivery and to review how Sharing the Vision was driving the delivery of a modern, patient-centred mental health service which is focused on best practice, innovative service development, and improved service delivery.
The Conference was convened and opened by Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler with contributions from An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.
Speaking at the event, Minister Donnelly emphasised the need for continued investment in mental health services, across the spectrum of prevention and early intervention, through to acute specialist services.
Opening the Conference, Minister Butler said, “Over the lifetime of this Government, investment in mental health services has grown to €1.3 billion.
“Ensuring that the voice of patients, and lived experience is embedded in mental health services and policy implementation is so important. Mental health services should not be developed in a vacuum, and only by ensuring that the voice of those who use services, and those who have experienced mental health difficulties and have experienced recovery, should always be taken into account. Only by doing so can we ensure that our policies and services are modern, and person-centred. In 2023, 19,000 people accessed Mental Health Recovery Colleges across Ireland. These colleges have been developed with the voice of those at the very heart of its model, those that are receiving support from these services. The success of these colleges further exemplifies how listening to the lived experience, can positively impact on health services.”
The Conference, organised by the Department of Health with the support of the Health Service Executive (HSE), marks the end of the first phase of implementation of the national mental health policy, and provides an opportunity to reflect on the successes and challenges over the last three years.
